scholarly journals Avian Use of Agricultural Areas as Migration Stopover Sites: A Review of Crop Management Practices and Ecological Correlates

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. David Blount ◽  
Joshua J. Horns ◽  
Kyle D. Kittelberger ◽  
Montague H. C. Neate-Clegg ◽  
Çağan Hakkı Şekercioğlu
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
Stopover Sites ◽  
Ecological Correlates ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Stopover Habitat ◽  
Crop Types ◽  
Agricultural Areas

An estimated 17% of migratory bird species are threatened or near threatened with extinction. This represents an enormous potential loss of biodiversity and cost to human societies due to the economic benefits that birds provide through ecosystem services and ecotourism. Conservation of migratory bird species presents many unique challenges, as these birds rely on multiple geographically distinct habitats, including breeding grounds, non-breeding grounds, and stopover sites during migration. In particular, stopover habitats are seldom studied relative to breeding and non-breeding habitats, despite their importance as refueling stations for migratory birds. In this study, we summarize the current research on the use of temporary primary crops by birds during migration and we assess the species characteristics and agricultural practices most often associated with the use of cropland as stopover habitat. First, we conducted a systematic review of the literature to document the effects various farming practices and crop types have on the abundance and diversity of migratory birds using agricultural areas for stopovers. Second, we analyzed the ecological correlates of bird species in the Northern Hemisphere that predict which species may use these areas while migrating. We ran a GLMM to test whether primary diet, diet breadth, primary habitat, habitat breadth, or realm predicted stopover use of agricultural areas. Our review suggests that particular crop types (principally rice, corn, and sunflower), as well as farming practices that result in higher non-cultivated plant diversity, encourage the use of agricultural areas by migrating birds. We found that cropland is used as stopover habitat by bird species that can utilize a large breadth of habitats, as well as species with preferences for habitat similar in structure to agricultural areas.

scholarly journals Using Bioacoustics to Examine Vocal Phenology of Neotropical Migratory Birds on a Wild and Scenic River in Arizona

Birds ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-274
Author(s):  
Heather L. Bateman ◽  
Sidney B. Riddle ◽  
Erin S. Cubley
Keyword(s):  
Sonoran Desert ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Yellow Warbler ◽  
Habitat Features ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Vocal Activity

Passive acoustic recorders have been used successfully as automated survey tools to detect terrestrial wildlife. However, few studies have monitored Neotropical migratory bird use of riparian forest habitat using this technology. Within dryland ecosystems, the forests along rivers support high bird diversity. Many bird species of conservation concern require these floodplain forest habitats for foraging, migration stop-overs, and breeding. Few studies have explored the use of acoustic records in riverine systems designated for conservation for their natural resource value via the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in the USA. Using acoustic recorders, we document vocal activity of four riparian-obligate species (Bell’s Vireo, Vireo bellii; Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra; Yellow Warbler, Setophaga petechial; and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus) to determine species occurrence along a Wild and Scenic River. We established three study reaches along the perennial Lower Verde River, in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona, USA. Nine acoustic recorders were used over the period of 80–120 days during the summer of 2018. We measured vegetation composition and structure in 100 m2 plots paired with acoustic recorders. Visualizing vocal activity showed that three species were calling and singing at each reach; whereas, one species, the cuckoo, had fewer recordings and occurred later in the summer. We demonstrate the utility of acoustic monitoring even when applied to rare birds in complex riparian habitats. This information is important for land management and conservation efforts concerning these species of interest and identifying important habitat features in Southwestern US riparian woodlands.

scholarly journals Hunting of migratory birds in North Sinai, Egypt

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
PERRI EASON ◽  
BASEM RABIA ◽  
OMAR ATTUM
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Mp3 Players ◽  
Southern Mediterranean ◽  
Sand Bar ◽  
North Sinai ◽  
Desert Scrub

SummaryDuring autumn migration, people set trammel nets along most of the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, with migrating Common Quail Coturnix coturnix as their primary target. These nets capture large numbers of quail, but also illegally capture other birds, which are then killed. We present the results of surveys from 2008 to 2012 along these lines of nets on the coast of North Sinai, Egypt. In desert scrub, which covers most of the Sinai coast, the mean number of quail killed reached a high of 357.1 per km per day in 2012, with a grand mean over the study period of 191.9 per km per day. Trammel nets also captured 54 other bird species in 28 families. Species captured at the highest rates in desert scrub included Corncrake Crex crex, Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina and Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla. Based on mean rates of capture from 2008 to 2012 in desert scrub and sand bar habitats, we estimate 2.0 million quail and 0.5 million birds of other species are killed annually in North Sinai during the 45 days of peak migration. In 2012, however, after the use of MP3 players to attract quail became widespread, we estimate that 3.3 million quail and 0.5 million other birds were captured. Hunters near the coast have recently begun covering shrubs and trees with mist nets to catch passerines. From 2010 to 2012, mist nets along our survey routes caught birds of 17 species in three families, with seven of these species caught only in this type of net. Hunting is likely to be a contributing factor to population declines for some species that migrate across Egypt and further studies of migratory bird hunting along the southern Mediterranean shore are badly needed.

scholarly journals Rainfall-induced changes in food availability modify the spring departure programme of a migratory bird

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1723) ◽  
pp. 3437-3443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin E. Studds ◽  
Peter P. Marra
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Marked Change ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Climatic Warming ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
American Redstarts ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Induced Changes

Climatic warming has intensified selection for earlier reproduction in many organisms, but potential constraints imposed by climate change outside the breeding period have received little attention. Migratory birds provide an ideal model for exploring such constraints because they face warming temperatures on temperate breeding grounds and declining rainfall on many tropical non-breeding areas. Here, we use longitudinal data on spring departure dates of American redstarts ( Setophaga ruticilla ) to show that annual variation in tropical rainfall and food resources are associated with marked change in the timing of spring departure of the same individuals among years. This finding challenges the idea that photoperiod alone regulates the onset of migration, providing evidence that intensifying drought in the tropical winter could hinder adaptive responses to climatic warming in the temperate zone.

scholarly journals Flyway-Scale Variation in Plasma Triglyceride Levels as an Index of Refueling Rate in Spring-Migrating Western Sandpipers (Calidris Mauri)

The Auk ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 886-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony D. Williams ◽  
Nils Warnock ◽  
John Y. Takekawa ◽  
Mary Anne Bishop
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
San Francisco Bay ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Plasma Triglyceride ◽  
Significant Linear Trend ◽  
Calidris Mauri ◽  
Stopover Sites ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Western Sandpipers

Abstract We combined radiotelemetry, plasma metabolite analyses, and macro-invertebrate prey sampling to investigate variation in putative fattening rates (estimated as plasma triglyceride levels) at the flyway scale in Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) migrating between Punta Banda, Mexico (31°N), and Hartney Bay, Alaska (60°N), a distance of 4,240 km. Birds were caught at a wintering site (San Francisco Bay) and eight stopover sites along this Pacific Flyway. Body mass was higher in females than in males at six sites, but variation was not correlated with latitude for either sex, and the relationship of change in mass by date within sites was uninformative with regard to possible latitudinal variation in fattening rates. At San Francisco Bay, triglyceride levels were higher in the spring than in the winter. Mean plasma triglyceride varied among stopover sites, and there was a significant linear trend of increasing triglyceride levels with latitude as birds migrated north. At San Francisco Bay, length of stay was negatively related to triglyceride levels. However, plasma triglyceride levels at wintering or initial stopover sites (San Francisco and Punta Banda) did not predict individual variation in subsequent rates of travel during migration. We found no significant relationship between triglyceride levels and prey biomass at different stopover sites, which suggests that the latitudinal pattern is not explained by latitudinal changes in food availability. Rather, we suggest that differences in physiology of migratory birds at southern versus northern stopover sites or behavioral differences may allow birds to sustain higher fattening rates closer to the breeding grounds. Variación a la Escala de Corredores de Vuelo en los Niveles de Triglicéridos Plasmáticos como un Índice de la Tasa de Reabastecimiento durante la Migración de Primavera en Calidris mauri

scholarly journals Novel methods reveal shifts in migration phenology of barn swallows in South Africa

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1733) ◽  
pp. 1485-1490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Res Altwegg ◽  
Kristin Broms ◽  
Birgit Erni ◽  
Phoebe Barnard ◽  
Guy F. Midgley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Recent Climate ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Barn Swallows

Many migratory bird species, including the barn swallow ( Hirundo rustica ), have advanced their arrival date at Northern Hemisphere breeding grounds, showing a clear biotic response to recent climate change. Earlier arrival helps maintain their synchrony with earlier springs, but little is known about the associated changes in phenology at their non-breeding grounds. Here, we examine the phenology of barn swallows in South Africa, where a large proportion of the northern European breeding population spends its non-breeding season. Using novel analytical methods based on bird atlas data, we show that swallows first arrive in the northern parts of the country and gradually appear further south. On their north-bound journey, they leave South Africa rapidly, resulting in mean stopover durations of 140 days in the south and 180 days in the north. We found that swallows are now leaving northern parts of South Africa 8 days earlier than they did 20 years ago, and so shortened their stay in areas where they previously stayed the longest. By contrast, they did not shorten their stopover in other parts of South Africa, leading to a more synchronized departure across the country. Departure was related to environmental variability, measured through the Southern Oscillation Index. Our results suggest that these birds gain their extended breeding season in Europe partly by leaving South Africa earlier, and thus add to scarce evidence for phenology shifts in the Southern Hemisphere.

scholarly journals Obstacles and Obligations: Wind Energy and Migratory Bird Protection in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Symone Krimowa
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
International Obligations ◽  
Biodiversity Convention

<p>Wind farms create unique risks to birds because of the danger of the turbine blades, which can be up to 150 meters tall. Placement of wind farms in the wrong areas can have a detrimental impact on bird species. New Zealand’s commitment to renewable energy is shared with its obligations to protect biodiversity, which are reflected in the ratification of international conventions such as the Convention on Migratory Species and the Biodiversity Convention. Domestic legislation, such as the Resource Management Act 1991, seeks to enhance the development of alternative sources of energy with the intention of reducing the effects of climate change on the environment and conserving indigenous biodiversity. Migratory bird protection in the wind farm context in New Zealand relies upon environmental impact assessment under Schedule 4 of the Resource Management Act 1991. International obligations include protecting or endeavouring to protect 37 migratory bird species along their complete flight paths. The Resource Management Act 1991 does not meet international obligations to protect migratory birds in the wind farm consent process because (1) the assessment of environmental effects process fails to adequately identify effects on migratory birds; and (2) even if the assessment of environmental effects process adequately identifies effects on migratory birds, the RMA fails to give priority weight to effects on birds when it balances those effects with other factors in deciding to approve the wind farm application. Other countries provide guidance on the next steps for New Zealand to take to comply with its international obligations to migratory birds.</p>

scholarly journals Conservation value of Beeshhazari Lake: an insight into diversity and abundance of wetland birds

Our Nature ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-26
Author(s):  
Jagan Nath Adhikari ◽  
Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai ◽  
Dina Nath Dhakal
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Conservation Value ◽  
Wetland Birds ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Lake System ◽  
Breeding Grounds

Beeshazari and associated lakes play the vital roles in providing feeding and breeding grounds for a large number of wetland fauna including many migratory birds. Wetland dependent birds in Beeshazari lake system was studied by using Area Search and Scan Sampling methods. We recorded a total of 44 wetland bird species belonging to 11 families and 9 orders. These lakes support a total of 7.5% of globally threatened and 8.93% of the nationally threatened birds. The species diversity and abundance were more in winter than in summer seasons. Fishermen and tourist pressure caused significantly negative impact on abundance and distribution of wetland birds. The major threats to wetland birds in this area were human disturbance, habitat degradation and declining water quality due to eutrophication and invasion of alien plant species such as water Hyacinth and Southern Cutgrass. Therefore, such threats need to be addressed for the long-term survival of wetland birds and extension of conservation value of Beeshazari lake system.

scholarly journals The effect of climate change on the duration of avian breeding seasons: a meta-analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1867) ◽  
pp. 20171710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucyna Halupka ◽  
Konrad Halupka
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Ecological Flexibility ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Many bird species are advancing the timing of their egg-laying in response to a warming climate. Little is known, however, of whether this advancement affects the respective length of the breeding seasons. A meta-analysis of 65 long-term studies of 54 species from the Northern Hemisphere has revealed that within the last 45 years an average population has lengthened the season by 1.4 days per decade, which was independent from changes in mean laying dates. Multi-brooded birds have prolonged their seasons by 4 days per decade, while single-brooded have shortened by 2 days. Changes in season lengths covaried with local climate changes: warming was correlated with prolonged seasons in multi-brooded species, but not in single-brooders. This might be a result of higher ecological flexibility of multi-brooded birds, whereas single brooders may have problems with synchronizing their reproduction with the peak of food resources. Sedentary species and short-distance migrants prolonged their breeding seasons more than long-distance migrants, which probably cannot track conditions at their breeding grounds. We conclude that as long as climate warming continues without major changes in ecological conditions, multi-brooded or sedentary species will probably increase their reproductive output, while the opposite effect may occur in single-brooded or migratory birds.

scholarly journals Building for Birds Evaluation Tool: Forest Fragments Used as Stopover Sites by Migrant Birds

EDIS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Mark E. Hostetler ◽  
Jan-Michael Archer
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Evaluation Tool ◽  
Online Tool ◽  
Wildlife Ecology ◽  
Stopover Sites ◽  
The People ◽  
Migrant Birds ◽  
Stopover Habitat ◽  
Is Value

Several bird species use forest fragments and trees conserved in built areas as breeding, wintering, and stopover habitat. Scientists have created a Building for Birds online tool to help these birds and the people who appreciate them. This evaluation tool is most useful for small developments or developments in already fragmented landscapes. The tool is designed for use when no opportunity is available to conserve large forest areas of 125 acres or more within a proposed development. Developers are sometimes reluctant to conserve trees and forest fragments in subdivided residential/commercial areas because it costs time and money, but there is value in this conservation effort not only for many different species of forest birds, but for future homeowners waking to birdsong in the mornings. This 18-page fact sheet written by Mark Hostetler and Jan-Michael Archer and published by the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation describes the online tool and shows how it can help preserve stopover habitat for migrating birds.­http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw416

Detecting transmission areas of malaria parasites in a migratory bird species

Parasitology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 142 (9) ◽  
pp. 1215-1220 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUZ GARCIA-LONGORIA ◽  
OLOF HELLGREN ◽  
STAFFAN BENSCH ◽  
FLORENTINO DE LOPE ◽  
ALFONSO MARZAL
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
Surface Protein ◽  
Merozoite Surface Protein ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Different Strains

SUMMARYThe identification of the regions where vector-borne diseases are transmitted is essential to study transmission patterns and to recognize future changes in environmental conditions that may potentially influence the transmission areas. SGS1, one of the lineages of Plasmodium relictum, is known to have active transmission in tropical Africa and temperate regions of Europe. Nuclear sequence data from isolates infected with SGS1 (based on merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1) allelic diversity) have provided new insights on the distribution and transmission areas of these allelic variants. For example, MSP1 alleles transmitted in Africa differ from those transmitted in Europe, suggesting the existence of two populations of SGS1 lineages. However, no study has analysed the distribution of African and European transmitted alleles in Afro-Palearctic migratory birds. With this aim, we used a highly variable molecular marker to investigate whether juvenile house martins become infected in Europe before their first migration to Africa. We explored the MSP1 allelic diversity of P. relictum in adult and juvenile house martins. We found that juveniles were infected with SGS1 during their first weeks of life, confirming active transmission of SGS1 to house martins in Europe. Moreover, we found that all the juveniles and most of adults were infected with one European transmitted MSP1 allele, whereas two adult birds were infected with two African transmitted MSP1 alleles. These findings suggest that house martins are exposed to different strains of P. relictum in their winter and breeding quarters.

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